Australia Hearts Blasphemy

Catholic Boycott = Record Audience

from Sploid

Catholic fanatics in New Zealand thought they could stop South Park with a boycott, but the sacrilegious cartoon instead found its biggest Kiwi audience ever.

The "Bloody Mary" episode first riled Catholics when it premiered in the United States on December 7 - a Catholic holiday that worships the Virgin Mary!

"Bloody Mary" tells the story of a miraculous Virgin Mary statue with blood pouring out of its anus. The blood cures the sick. Pope Ratzinger investigates, along with other Catholic authorities.

Blood shooting out of the alleged mother of Jesus' anus was a jackpot for advertisers.

(Click here to watch the episode.)

Fanatics had tried and failed to stop Comedy Central from broadcasting the cartoon in the United States and later in Australia.

The Catholic League even put out a press release full of lies claiming Comedy Central had backed down.

The official Catholic Church tried its hand in New Zealand - and it was a total disaster for the scandal-plagued religion.

After demanding that New Zealanders boycott the show, "Bloody Mary" was broadcast last night to the biggest South Park audience ever. Instead of the usual 32,500 viewers, more than 210,000 New Zealanders crowded around their little television sets to see what all the fuss was about.

"I expected a bit of a rise, but not that much," a Comedy Central executive told the Associated Press.

As the massive audience enjoyed the show, about 200 seething Catholics stood outside the local broadcaster's office and whined about everything.

New Zealand Muslims also protested the episode, because they heard it was a cartoon.

Those on the losing side of the latest cartoon outrage immediately demanded new laws to prevent anything they don't like from being on television.